State Will Help St. Cloud Envision Downtown's Future

ST. CLOUD - Officials from the state Bureau of Historic Preservation and the St. Cloud Main Street Program met recently to discuss the steps needed to revitalize the city's downtown.

The state will advise St. Cloud for three years and provide a $10,000 grant for the program, which seeks to improve and beautify an area that runs from 13th Street to Eighth Street and from Massachusetts Avenue to Florida Avenue. Veteran's Park, which is south of the area on the other side of U.S. Highway 192, is also targeted for improvements.

``It's a directional type of meeting,'' said Phillip Wisely, a preservation architect with the Bureau of Historic Preservation, who met with the Main Street committee over breakfast. ``This is a local program, and we provide technical assistance.''

The committee to improve the area includes City Councilman Ernie Gearhart, who is also the Chamber of Commerce president, Deputy Mayor Mark Rosenbauer, who is acting as the city's representative to the program, and Debbie Jowers, the president of St. Cloud Main Street. Also on the committee are three representatives from Republic Bank, which is lending the office that will serve as program headquarters.

The committee plans to hire a program manager within the next few weeks, officials said.

Although a budget for the entire revitalization has not yet been set, the committee expects to spend about $85,000 in start-up costs, according to Paula Stark, the program's vice president. Local businesses and institutions have already pledged over $100,000 in cash donations and in-kind contributions, she said. The county and city governments will also help to fund the program. About 64 members of the downtown business association have donated money and labor.

The main objective is to restore downtown to its original, historical character. The city was founded in 1909 to serve as a colony for Union veterans of Civil War. The project should make the area more attractive as a place to shop or spend a weekend.

``We say we are St. Cloud proud,'' said Rosenbauer when defining the goals of the program.

Officials said that they expect the program to take several years. Among the improvements being considered are plans to increase green areas downtown and restore brick streets to revive some of the original character and feel, Rosenbauer said.

Already, small steps have been taken to improve downtown. A clock that stands at New York Avenue and 10th Street is being repaired, and a stop for tour buses has already been marked in that area.

A city building will likely be converted into a public area with water fountains, and depending on the progress of the program, store owners may qualify for loans to improve the facades of their businesses.

Officials said they would like the program to create an area that conveys a quiet attractiveness, worlds away from the hub of Orlando and the bustle of Osceola's western tourism corridor.

For residents of St. Cloud, ``we want a relatively comfortable atmosphere downtown where people can just shop and not be in a hurry,'' Jowers said.

Ronni Wood, the Main Street manager for Winter Haven, accompanied Wisely on a walk through the downtown district after the breakfast.

``I found it quite charming,'' she said. ``It has a small-town feel to it.''